Likening Pokémon stuffed in pokéballs to elephants being chained up in train carts, PETA believes that the gaming franchise sends out the wrong message to children.

"The amount of time that Pokémon spend stuffed in pokéballs is akin to how elephants are chained up in train carts, waiting to be let out to "perform" in circuses," reads a statement on PETA's website.

"But the difference between real life and this fictional world full of organized animal fighting is that Pokémon games paint rosy pictures of things that are actually horrible."

Last year, PETA launched a campaign against Super Mario 3D Land, saying that Mario's use of a Tanooki suit sends out a wrong message about wearing animal fur.

The organization created a flash game on its website in which players control a skinless tanuki that chases a flying Mario through a stage.